1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle hitch for a high clearance vehicle, such as, for example, a four-wheel drive truck or recreational vehicle, wherein the vehicular hitch allows for the towing of a trailer or the like at varying heights.
2. PRIOR ART
Various adjustable vehicular hitches have been previously devised. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,664,686 to Anderson; 3,692,330 to Kendall; and 3,922,006 to Borges, all disclose vertically adjustable vehicular hitches of various design. However, none of the hitches shown in these three patents meet the difficulties as will be subsequently described in this disclosure.
High clearance vehicles, such as four-wheel drive trucks and recreational vehicles, are often times used for the purpose of towing trailers, boats, mobile campers, and other similar devices. However, because of the height of such vehicles above the ground, many trailers and the like cannot be effectively towed with a hitch mounted to the high clearance vehicle at the height of the vehicular frame. Consequently, it is necessary to provide, for some uses, a hitch attached to the high clearance vehicle which is lower than the height of the vehicular frame. However, when such a lowered hitch is permanently attached to the vehicular frame of a high clearance vehicle, the purpose for which the vehicle is provided with high ground clearance is defeated for the reason that the effective ground clearance of the vehicle then becomes the height above the ground of the lowered vehicular hitch.
Whereas the above referenced patents disclose means of making a vehicular hitch vertically adjustable, all of those patents disclose a permanently and rigidly attached framework for the adjustable hitch, a part of which permanently remains at the lower most level of the vertically adjustable hitch.